The coronavirus pandemic has changed the importance of biosecurity in the supply of agricultural produce, with impacts on the transport of goods and people domestically and globally. During the period of the pandemic, the Australian Government has continued to invest in biosecurity to better target critical biosecurity risks. This commitment includes a $371 million biosecurity package to keep out exotic pests and diseases. This investment assists with building the necessary capability for early detection of animal and plant pest and disease risks, and minimising the negative impact on farm income, the environment and the local economy.
This report focuses attention on the biosecurity challenges on-farm for five small and emerging industries, and presents several biosecurity sensing technologies that have the potential to improve detection and analyse risk. It showcases technologies to manage biosecurity at the farm level as well as at industry and regional levels to strengthen Australia’s national biosecurity system.